Posted Sign

Abstract

A method and apparatus for fashioning a posted sign and mounting the sign around a support structure is disclosed. A roll, including a spool and a span of flexible sheet material wound around the spool, is provided. The sheet material contains a posted notice that repeats a multiplicity of times along the span. The sheet material is drawn from the spool to a length sufficient to extend around the support structure. The notice repeats a plurality of times along the length. The length is separated from the span to produce the posted sign. The sign is mounted in a mounted position around the support structure, such that the notice repeats a plurality of times around the structure. In one case, the ends of the sign overlap in the mounted position, and the sign is mounted using a single nail or screw that pierces the ends and penetrates the support structure.

What I claim is: 
     
         1 . A roll for fashioning a plurality of posted signs each customized for a perimeter of a different upright support structure, comprising:
 a spool; and   a span of flexible sheet material wound around the spool, the sheet material having a printed side containing a posted notice that repeats a multiplicity of times along the span,   the spool being adapted to facilitate the drawing out of different lengths of the sheet material, such that each of the lengths can be separated from the span to fashion one of the plurality of posted signs, each of the lengths being customized for a perimeter of a different upright support structure and containing the posted notice repeated a plurality of times.   
     
     
         2 . The roll of  claim 1 , wherein the posted notice contains a message and an owner-information area adjacent to the message. 
     
     
         3 . The roll of  claim 1 , wherein the flexible sheet material of said span is a linear-tear sheet material. 
     
     
         4 . An apparatus for posting a notice on a tree trunk of a living tree, the tree trunk being characterized by an expandable perimeter, said apparatus comprising:
 (a) a piece of flexible sheet material, having (i) an elongated dimension terminating at first and second opposing ends, and (ii) a printed side containing a posted notice that repeats a plurality of times along the elongated dimension; and   (b) a fastener, adapted to mount said piece of flexible sheet material to the tree trunk in a mounted position, including by engaging said piece at each of the first and the second opposing ends, such that the elongated dimension of said piece is oriented substantially around the expandable perimeter of the tree trunk and the posted notice on the printed side of the piece is displayed and repeated a plurality of times around the perimeter,   the engagement of said fastener with the first and the second opposing ends of said piece allowing the mounted position of said piece to naturally′ adjust to an expansion of the perimeter of the tree trunk.   
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the posted notice contains a message and an owner-information area adjacent to the message. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the first opposing end of said piece of flexible sheet material contains a linear-tear material, said fastener being adapted to (i) engage the linear-tear material at the first opposing end and (ii) tear the linear-tear material along the elongated dimension of said piece as the perimeter of the tree trunk expands, whereby the mounted position of said piece naturally adjusts to an expansion of the tree trunk by a corresponding tearing of the linear-tear material. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the second opposing end of said piece of flexible sheet material contains a linear-tear material, said fastener being adapted to ( 0  engage the linear-tear material at the second opposing end and (ii) tear the linear-tear material at the second end along the elongated dimension of said piece as the perimeter of the tree trunk expands. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein said piece of flexible sheet material is made of a linear-tear material, said fastener being adapted to tear the linear-tear material along the elongated dimension of said piece as the perimeter of the tree trunk expands, whereby the mounted position of said piece naturally adjusts to an expansion of the tree trunk by a corresponding tearing of the linear-tear material. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the first and the second opposing ends of said piece of flexible sheet material overlap each other in the mounted position, and wherein said fastener is a single nail or screw adapted to pierce the overlapping ends and penetrate the tree trunk, whereby, in the mounted position, the single nail or screw tears the linear-tear material of said piece as the perimeter of the tree trunk expands. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the single nail or screw is a nail having a shank with an elongated cross-section to facilitate the tearing of the linear-tear material of said piece. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein said fastener includes an elastic cord having first and second opposing ends and means at each of the ends for engaging the first and the second opposing ends of said piece of flexible sheet material, respectively, in the mounted position, whereby the mounted position of said piece naturally adjusts to an expansion of the tree trunk by a corresponding expansion of the elastic cord. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the first and the second opposing ends of said piece of flexible sheet material overlap each other in the mounted position, and wherein said fastener includes a compressible band (i) dimensioned to encircle the overlapping ends of said piece in the mounted position and (ii) adapted to hold, upon compression of the band, the overlapping ends in a secure but yielding manner, whereby the mounted position of said piece naturally adjusts to an expansion of the tree trunk by a corresponding yielding of the overlapping ends. 
     
     
         13 . A kit, to be carried into the field, for fashioning a plurality of posted signs each customized for a perimeter of a different upright support structure, said kit comprising:
 a roll, including a spool and a span of flexible sheet material wound around the spool, the sheet material having a printed side containing a posted notice that repeats a multiplicity of times along the span,   the spool being adapted to facilitate the drawing out of different lengths of the sheet material, such that each of the lengths can be separated from the span to fashion one of the plurality of posted signs, each of the lengths being customized for a perimeter of a different upright support structure and containing the posted notice repeated a plurality of times; and   a plurality of fasteners each adapted to mount one of the plurality of posted signs around the perimeter of the upright structure for which the sign is customized, such that the posted notice is displayed and repeated a plurality of times around the perimeter.   
     
     
         14 . The kit of  claim 13 , wherein the posted notice contains a message and an owner-information area adjacent to the message. 
     
     
         15 . The kit of  claim 13 , wherein:
 (a) one of the different upright support structures is a tree trunk of a living tree characterized by an expandable perimeter;   (b) the flexible sheet material of the span is a linear-tear material and the plurality of posted signs are fashioned from the linear-tear material, the plurality of posted signs including a first posted sign customized for the perimeter of the tree trunk; and   (c) one of the plurality of fasteners is a tearing fastener, adapted to (i) mount the first posted sign in a mounted position around the expandable perimeter of the tree trunk and (ii) tear the linear-tear material of the first posted sign as the perimeter of the tree trunk expands, whereby the mounted position of the first posted sign naturally adjusts to an expansion of the tree trunk by a corresponding tearing of the linear-tear material.   
     
     
         16 . The kit of  claim 15 , wherein the tearing fastener is a nail or screw, which, when used to mount the one posted sign, pierces the one posted sign and penetrates the tree trunk. 
     
     
         17 . The kit of  claim 13 , wherein:
 (a) one of the different upright support structures is a tree trunk of a living tree characterized by an expandable perimeter;   (b) the plurality of posted signs includes a first posted sign customized for the perimeter of the tree trunk, the first posted sign having first and second opposing ends; and   (c) the plurality of fasteners includes a first fastener having an elastic cord with first and second opposing ends and means at each of the ends for engaging, in the mounted position, the first and the second opposing ends of the first posted sign, respectively, whereby the mounted position of the first posted sign naturally adjusts to an expansion of the tree trunk by a corresponding expansion of the elastic cord.   
     
     
         18 . The kit of  claim 13 , wherein:
 (a) one of the different upright support structures is a tree trunk of a living tree characterized by an expandable perimeter;   (b) the plurality of posted signs includes a first posted sign customized for the perimeter of the tree trunk, the first posted sign having first and second opposing ends that overlap each other in the mounted position; and   (c) the plurality of fasteners includes a compressible band, the compressible band being (i) dimensioned to encircle the overlapping ends of the first posted sign in the mounted position and (ii) adapted to hold, upon compression of the hand, the overlapping ends in a secure but yielding manner, whereby the mounted position of the first posted sign naturally adjusts to an expansion of the tree trunk by a corresponding yielding of the overlapping ends.   
     
     
         19 . A method of fashioning a posted sign and mounting the posted sign around a perimeter of an upright support structure, said method comprising the steps of:
 (a) providing a roll, including a spool and a span of flexible sheet material wound around the spool, the sheet material having a printed side containing a posted notice that repeats a multiplicity of times along the span;   (b) drawing from the spool a length of the flexible sheet material sufficient to extend around the perimeter of the upright support structure, the posted notice repeating a plurality of times along the length;   (c) separating the length of flexible sheet material from the span to produce the posted sign, the posted sign having first and second opposing ends; and   (d) mounting the posted sign in a mounted position substantially around the perimeter of the upright support structure, such that the posted notice is displayed and repeated a plurality of times around the perimeter.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the first and the second opposing ends of the posted sign overlap each other in the mounted position, and wherein step (d) is performed with a single nail or screw piercing the overlapping ends of the posted sign and penetrating the upright support structure. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the upright support structure is a tree trunk of a living tree characterized by an expandable perimeter and the posted sign is made of a linear-tear material, and wherein step (d) is performed using a tearing fastener that pierces the posted sign and tears the linear-tear material of the sign as the perimeter of the tree trunk expands, whereby the mounted position of the posted sign naturally adjusts to an expansion of the tree trunk by a corresponding tearing of the linear-tear material. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the upright support structure is a tree trunk of a living tree characterized by an expandable perimeter, and wherein step (d) is performed using a fastener having an elastic cord, the elastic cord having first and second opposing ends and means at each of the ends for engaging the first and the second opposing ends of the posted sign, respectively, whereby the mounted position of the posted sign naturally adjusts to an expansion of the tree trunk by a corresponding expansion of the elastic cord. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the upright support structure is a tree trunk of a living tree characterized by an expandable perimeter, and wherein step (d) is performed using a compressible band that encircles the first and the second ends of the posted sign in the mounted position and, upon compression of the band, holds the ends in a secure but yielding manner, whereby the mounted position of the posted sign naturally adjusts to an expansion of the tree trunk by a corresponding yielding of the ends.